Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1887-01-22
SILENT SCHOLARS.
Teaching Deaf Mutes to Talk
in New York School.
& Method which Requires Great Patience
and Perseverance.

''@'g StaACA DTU"u slOuc front Ou IilE
block, queer class of pupils meets every
day. Some of the pupils are only five
years old and some are twenty, but not
one ever makes any noise, and in point
OF quietness the class is a model one
Nobody ever hears schoolboy laughter
or schoolgirl jollity ring out from that
school-room, and the very house itself
has not even the conventional door bell. 4
You can count every tick of the little
clock with the class in full session while
you stand waiting in the hallway.
In this silent house deaf mutes are
taught to speak. Two private classes,
with seven pupils in each, meet there
day after day, and from in the morn
ing till late in the afternoon struggle
with those simple sounds that most Of US
learn unconsciously in our babyhood.
Miss Sadie w Keeler is the teacher.
For eleven years she has worked among
deaf mutes and given to voiceless
tongues the music of our speech. In
this country and in Europe she has
learned all that the best schools can of
fer
But whatever methods different teach
ers may have, to the on-lookcr who
spends an interested hour or two in her
classroom it seems that the only sue
cessful method must be nine-tenths pa
ticnce. One must have the quiet pa
tienee of a marble statue and persistence
as the flowing of river to perform this
modern miracle Of making the dumb
talk. To make sound over and over
again and then to begin at the beginning
and repeat and reiterate and explain and
recite the same thing thousand times
is somewhat suggestion of the work of
teachers life.
Two boys about seven, another of ten,
q pretty girl of sixteen and two smaller
girls about eleven years old were sitting
quietly around little table. There was
a blackboard and First reader in the
room. Miss Keeler was teaching the
smallest boy to say "Ah" She put one
Of his hands on her chest so that he
could feel the vibrating of the vocal
chords, and held the other close to her
mouth, so that he could feel the expul-
sion Of her breath. Then she said 'Ah ~
and he tried to say it after her Then
her lips formed the word ''papa," and
the little fellow, by closely watching,
cssayed to initiate her, but the only re-
suit was something that sounded like
"mum-mum. The teacher held the
lads hand to her lips so that he could
feel her breath as she expelled it in max
the ''p' in papa" The "m" sound
did not bring any breath on hi:
hand; SO he tried again, and, holding
his hand to his own mouth, changed
"mum- num- into cultural sort o.
papa"
The little pupil had hard work getting
the letter Sc The only way he could
feel this sound was by placing his hand.
one on each side Of the jaw of thu
/ teacher. The sound of 'm" and "w'
he got by placing the fingers of one hant
on the teachers nose and the fingers o
his other hand IN precisely the same wa,
/ on his own nose. Then he copied tn,
: movement of her lips and tongue cx
+ actly, and another letter was won. Th
vowcls are taught first, then letters ar
put together, and the lad at last learn
to say "boy" Then lie writes it on
slate, and is told that the three letter
mean himself or any other boy.
One pretty little maiden named Min
ME, sits just across the round table. Sh
began learning carly, and speaks yer.
nicely. o. course, that voice which sh
herself has never heard lachs the modu
lation that We unconsci 5usiv learn TO lool
for Il love Won, from those prett,
lips has the same measure OF affection
expressed and the same p.acid information
that Il hate you has. She is a goo.
example Of the double system Of teach
ing that goes on in this. queer school
room. She has learned lip-reaiing
Speak slowly = her and she car seI
. IRON the changes in yoarf,ps and ,ongu
what you SAP. Make the mere motto
With your mouth, Is If whispering softly
but 10 not make the least sound. an
she car tell what 7our words would BE-
! o. course N this combination Of Oh
ject-,each;nc and Iip-readtng~therc need
must be strange mistakes Take II
ca<e Of Dr. G4iIauiei, who, speaking i
church 70 deaf rsutes, tried 70 exp-ai
wha. = deacon 1as. lie TOOK his la
AMI passed ]: round Is ,-o4sh taking a
collection II cLnrch-th-t wAs d.
con. MY. iii tler anlerz:a1d' &
-2olfse. Little George he'd Up his han